I have a 55 gallon right now moderatly planted with alot of low light plants.
Stuff like Java Fern, Java Moss, Vallisnaria, Hornwort, and Crypt.
I plan on maybe adding more of the above and maybe some hygrophila aswell.
these are all fairly prolific, low light plants, but im wondeirng if im going to have PH and Alkalinity issues later on down the road without CO2 to balance it out?
Ok, the lack of CO2 will not be a problem. Nothing will happen just because you have a lot of plants and no CO2. Your GH will drop as the plants use the nutrients that raise it but not much more.
It is only when you add CO2 that you will run into problems if you don't keep close track of parameters.
Not from anything I have ever heard or seen. I have been running 80 watts over 2 ten gallon tanks for almost 2 years and the only time I see an increase in pH is when I add crushed coral to do it intentionally. I had my plants pearl which means that the water is super saturated with O2 and never an effect on the pH.
Lighting mixed with CO2 injection can and will cause pH swings from day to night. When the lights are on, the plants use more CO2 and reduce the pH. When the lights are off the plants use less Co2 and the pH will increase. Most people who have pressurized CO2 have it set up on a regulator that control the pH specifically so that they don't get major pH swings.
Seachem Fourish EXCEL will provide Carbon for the plants which is their main building block and is why best growth is gotten by injecting CO2.
The KH of a CO2 tank or any other tank needs to be at least 2dKH in order to prevent severe negative effects from the pH changing for any reason.
If you do not inject CO2 then your CO2 levels stay at a pretty steady 3ppm as this is the normal saturation of CO2 in none injected tanks. I have verified these levels at all times of the day in my tanks.
No rpoblem, I researched it and asked so many quesitons when I first started and got just as confused. So much for keeping aquatic plants being as simple as houseplants.
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